Rush'N Attack Ex-Patriot - Xbox 360

What We Already Know

Not much. We knew that Konami was retooling the classic arcade game for its 25th (!) anniversary, with plans to release via XBL and PSN, but we had precious few details beyond that.

What We're Seeing Now

A slick little game that mixes platforming elements with straight-up combat, with a few stealth elements thrown in. Using the Unreal Engine, Rush'N Attack: Ex-Patriot puts players in a side-scrolling world with multiple levels and branching pathways, and if that brings to mind Shadow Complex you're probably not far off.

The most fundamental combat, as in the original, is knife-based, but unlike the original the main character has access to a lot more brutal maneuvers. The character's moves are inspired by the Russian martial art Systema, rumored to have been a requirement for all Spetznatz soldiers. The result is brutal throws, knifings, and stealth kills -- the last thanks to the character's ability to hide in shadowy doorways, pits, and ceiling crevices, leaping out just as the enemy is too close to run away. (And of course, there's the reliable whistle maneuver, which brings those unsuspecting enemies into range of those kills.) He can also grab enemies while hanging from ledges, for particularly satisfying falling deaths.

Based on what was presented on the show floor, the game lacks the fast pace and accompanying difficulty of the original arcade game. But it seems to make up for it with tactics, stealth, brutality, and style. Seems like an acceptable tradeoff.